| Artficial Harmonics on the Bass Guitar
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Check out my article on artificial harmonics! Thank you.
When it comes to playing bass guitar there are a few things you can do to really set yourself apart. Creating artificial harmonics is one of those things. “Bell notes” as they are often called catapult the bass guitar up and over the treble clef. They catch the listener’s ear and provide a change in texture that is useful for emphasizing a cadence or a change in sonority to herald a different section of the song.
Artificial harmonics are easiest to obtain at the twelfth fret. By first creating a natural harmonic at the twelfth fret we will illuminate the general procedure for creating a “bell note.” Place the index finger of your fretting hand over the 12th fret of the E string on your bass guitar. The tip of your finger should firmly touch the string. Do not push the string onto the fret board as you would if you were fretting a regular note. Think of your finger tip as an inanimate object like a guitar slide or a drumstick. You are merely placing your finger in contact with the string. Now firmly pluck the E string with your finger-picking hand or a pick. To get the harmonic to ring out, you may have to pluck harder than you are used to. Really dig in.
Another way to produce the same harmonic takes your fretting hand out of the equation entirely. This is the thumb and first finger technique. Place the tip of the thumb on your picking hand onto the E string above the 12th fret. Now, with your first finger on the same hand pluck against the string. It is a motion similar to snapping with your thumb and first finger. Once you get used to keeping your thumb pressed against the string while plucking the string with your first finger you will get the harmonic to sound. Don’t be afraid to put some effort into it!
If you can create harmonics with the thumb and first finger technique, you can create artificial harmonics. With your fretting hand, press on the first fret of the E string. Now, place the thumb of your picking hand against the same string at the thirteenth fret of the E string. Pick with the first finger of this hand.
The pattern to recognize is that the thumb of your picking hand will be placed against the string at a fret twelve frets higher than the fret you are holding down with your fretting hand. You will create a bell note that will wash over live sound. This is a technique employed by many great bassists looking to add to their timbrel armada. Once you learn to coordinate your fretting hand with the striking of bell notes in your right hand you can start to play triads and scales all in 12th fret harmonics.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. If you have ever played a major third on a bass guitar you may think it sounds muddy. But if the top note of that third is played as a harmonic twelve frets away you will be making a tenth. The bottom note will be a regular note and the top note will be a glassy bell note an octave higher than it is fretted. This will sound like an organ and add a lot of interesting tone to your sound.
Experiment with distortion when you are using these bell tones. You will be surprised by the uncharacteristic sound of the result. The sound is similar to a synth or a revved up keyboard.
You can take the same formula for making artificial harmonics and change the distance between the fretted note and the placement of the thumb to be 5 frets apart, 7 frets apart, 9 frets apart, 4 frets apart, and 2 frets apart. The harmonics 4 and 2 frets apart require a lot of force to create.
Once you learn to employ the bell notes in your playing you will add two octaves to the range of your instrument and unlock a whole new set of tones to play with. Your playing will never be the same. | 
